Fun Fact of the Week: West Coast Roast
A dreary eve in Seattle, a black cup of coffee melodically steaming in front of a cafe windowsill, a rag-tag collection of punk weirdos jittering and chattering from caffeine and anxiety in an undisclosed location in Portland, a group of people from wildly different walks of life sitting along stools, taking shots of espresso side by side along the bay in California. These occurrences highlight the unique and fascinating culture of coffee on the West Coast. So this week, let’s sip from the mug of knowledge, and learn about a few notable coffee houses in these three cities.
Espresso Vivace: 532 Broadway Ave, E. Seattle, WA.
It takes a good deal of precision to make the perfect cup of coffee. This is why Dadiv Schomer, founder of Espresso Vivace had such a strong start, coming off a career as a measurement scientist for Boeing. He went so far as to research the precision involved in coffee roasting, and went on to publish his findings publicly, which significantly altered the landscape of coffee brewing in the US, especially for smaller businesses. The list of achievements doesn’t end there, however, as Schomer is credited with the popularization of the latte, and latte art, in the US via a training video that was made for baristas. One final fun note is that the signature drink of Espresso Vivace is the Brix, which is named after the scientific term for the quantity of sugar dissolved in water.
Scarlett City Coffee Roasters: 1304 Wood St. Oakland, CA.
A disciple of Espresso Vivace, Jen St. Hilaire began roasting coffee in 1995 while managing a research facility at UC Berkeley. She has a daring flare, trying out new combinations of flavors unheard of, perhaps even ideations considered deranged, in the coffee community. But this sci-fi enthusiast presses strongly forward into uncharted territory! St. Hilaire has risen to experimental prominence, despite the field of coffee roasting being strongly dominated by men. Many acknowledge this flaw in the industry, but still has a bitter taste that sours the experience of many coffee enjoyers. Luckily, there are many efforts to combat this, such as the aforementioned Cafe Feminino, or as St. Hilaire does, one may seek to buy from female-owned farms, such as the shining example of Epiphanie Mukashyaka in Rwanda.
Caffe Trieste: 601 Vallejo St, San Francisco, CA.
The claim to fame of Caffe Trieste is “the first espresso bar on the West Coast,” beginning all the way back in 1956. Italian Immigrant Giovanni Giotta began the place back when you could buy a cappuccino (which they helped popularize in the U.S.) for $0.30, but it has continued producing high-quality coffee ever since. Very little has changed there since its founding, according to poet laureate Joseph Brodsky, although innovation in drink was not unheard of. The flavored latte was also said to have been conceived of here, after the mixing of coffee with Italian soda syrup. Given its central location in San Francisco close to the City of Lights bookstore, Caffe Trieste has hosted such famous patrons as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Richard Brautigen, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Francis Coppala.
Trailhead Coffee Roasters: 350 SE Mill Street Portland, OR.
Take a coffee shop. Now put it on wheels. No, not a food cart. A bike. This portable coffee shop started by Charlie Wicker in 2008 was founded on a very Portland-esque ideal for coffee consumption. It should be liquid, community-based, and humanitarian. Wicker called the coffee bean a simple vehicle for change, and continues to support this idea by buying his coffee almost exclusively from Café Feminino (a group that seeks to empower female coffee growers in Latin America), as well as giving out cups of coffee to homeless people. Wicker rides his bike to prime locations, serving early commuters, marathon and bike race contestants, and right to your door.
Starbucks Coffee Company: 1912 Pike Pl. Seattle, WA. (Original Location)
The leviathan began in Seattle, and needs little introduction. They now operate in 55 countries and purchase over 269 million pounds of green coffee a year. Perhaps the coffee snob would resent ‘Charbucks’ for their somewhat average quality coffee, when compared to the other places in this article, however, Neuschwander argues that without the wild success of Starbucks the coffee shop as we know it today (prices and quality well above instant coffee, and as a sort of communal third space) would not exist. The original location still exists in Seattle, although nowadays it is more of a tourist attraction than an actual location.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters: 4525 SE Division St. Portland, OR. (Original Location)
Founder Duane Sorenson began roasting in 1999 with a 5-kilogram bean roaster, and has since built an indie coffee roasting empire, and has become iconic of the Portland Coffee scene. Interestingly, Stumptown was built on a somewhat unprecedented model of supply-chain transparency. Before the 2000s, coffee roasters would typically keep the origins of their beans a closely guarded secret, so that other companies would be unable to steal their secret formulas. However, Stumptown insisted on putting every scrap of information a consumer could want right on the label. This allowed customers to know that they were really getting the good stuff, as a journey from a foreign bean field to a local store could be tracked with ease. Thus, a pricier coffee could be sold–up to a legendary $200 per pound blend has been seen at auctions (do note that they still sell much more reasonably priced goods).
Sourced mostly from Left Coast Roast, by Hanna Neuschwander.
If you have a fun fact or topic that you would like to be brought to light, email me at qhoop@reed.edu!